Startup mentors discuss strategies and challenges of creating a new business.

One Big Question Mark

ANGELA BENTON: 1. You need to make sure you’re coachable while also being confident in the vision of where you need to go. You’ll be getting a lot of advice from a lot of different places. You’ll want to make sure that you are not too headstrong to overlook key advice you may get but that you also don’t let the advice that you may get stray you too far away from your vision. It’s the reason why you’re deciding to take the leap into the land of startups after all.

2. Ask yourself if you are comfortable with risk. If you’re not get comfortable with it quick. Running a startup can often be one big question mark. Most things aren’t guaranteed and they for sure can’t be predicted, the better or worse. That said you’ll not only need to be risk adverse you’ll need to be able to handle the emotional roller coaster of being a startup CEO.

3. You need to make sure you’re resilient. Being in a startup is hard! You already know that you have to be willing to take a risk but it’s inevitable that you’ll get knocked down during your journey. You need to ask yourself if you can get back up when you’re knocked down. If you are then you’re well on your way to being a startup CEO.

About The Accelerators

For aspiring or actual entrepreneurs, The Accelerators forum is a lively discussion among startup mentors– entrepreneurs, angel investors and venture capitalists. To reach us: @wsjstartup or theaccelerators@wsj.com.